Machine for filling a receptacle with granulated material



R. J. DRISCOLL. ET AL April 12,1938. I

MACHINE FOR FILLING A RECEPTACLE WITH GRANULATE'D MATERIAL OriginalFiled Nov. 27, 1954 INVENTORS Rickardffirscoll BYJOhIZHDrL'SCOZZ u M 17ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 12 1938' PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR FILLING ARECEPTACLE WITH GRANULATED MATERIAL Richard J. Driscoll, White Plains,N. Y., and John H. Driscoll, Edgewater, N. J.

Qriginal application November 2'7, 1934, .Serial Divided and thisapplication November 29, 1935, Serial No. 52,101

6 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for filling jackets or casings withgranulated material such, for example. as ground cork, and particularlyto machines for filling boat fender casings, life buoy 5 casings, liferaft casings, and similar casings with granulated material such as cork.

It is an object of the invention to provide an efficient and dependablemeans for filling and packing the jackets or casings of boat fenders,

ring buoys, life rafts and the like with granulated filling material.

One illustrative embodiment of the machine is shown in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a machine embodying the invention andshowing in association with the machine a boat fender casing to befilled and packed with filling material.

Fig, 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the bit or screw which feedsthe filling material into 21') the fender casing, said view being takenon the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the feed tube of the machine taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The machine of this application is adapted to feed granulated materialsuch as ground cork into casings of various types such, for example, asboat fender casings, ring buoy casings, life raft casings and the like,and to tightly pack the filler material in such casings.

Referring to Fig. l, a boat fender casing is shown in association withthe illustrative machine in position to be filled with filling material.As there shown, the fender casing consists of a cylindrical side wall Iand an end wall 2 provided with a grommet 5 through which the fillermaterial may be fed into the casing and through which a rope 6 extends.A detailed description of the boat fender and the manner in which thegrommet opening is closed after the casing is filled is given in mycopending application Serial No. 754,988 filed November 27, 1934, ofwhich this application is a division.

The illustrative machine is provided with a tube member I5 adapted to beinserted into the casing through the grommet 5. Secured to the upper endof the tube I5 is a funnel-shaped member I6. The member 16 and the tubel5 secured thereto are supported by a bracket I'I extending from. aframework I8 of the filling machine.

The tube I5 is preferably provided on its inner surface withlongitudinal corrugations I5, as shown in Fig. 3 to reduce swirling ofthe material in the tube.

Extending down through the funnel member I6 and through the tube memberI5 is a bit or screw I9 for feeding the filler material from thefunnelshaped member I6 into the fender casing.

The bit or screw I9 preferably extends below the lower end of the tubeI5 2. sufficient distance to permit it to spread and pack the materialin the fender casing. The diameter of the bit or screw preferablygradually decreases from the bottom to the top to facilitate the feedingof the filler material from the funnel-shaped member I6 through the tubeI5 and into the fender casing. The edges of the spirals of the bit orscrew which lie within the tube I5 preferably are knife-edged to reducefrictional heat and facilitate the'feeding of the material through thetube I5.

For spreading the filler material outwardly from the bit or screw andfor packing it solidly against the walls of the casing, the bit or screwis provided near its extremity with an expander 20, the shape of whichis best shown in Fig. 2. This expander forces the filler material towardthe outer walls of the casing and produces a tight packing which isimpossible by hand operation.

The bit or screw I9 is journaled for rota tion in bearings 2I and 22supported respectively by brackets 23 and 24 carried by the frame I8.The screw or bit is rotated through a pulley 25 fixed to its upper endthrough a belt 26 driven by a motor 21.

The funnel-shaped member I6 may be kept filled with filler materialthrough a chute 28 leading from a supply bin 29.

During a filling operation the fender casing may be held by theattendant or supported on a yielding support which will permit thecasing to move downwardly as it is filled. As the filler material is fedinto the fender casing by the bit or screw I9 the casing will graduallybe filled and tightly packed with the filler material. The fillingoperation will gradually force the casing down until the tube I5 emergesfrom the top thereof. The tightness of the pack will be regulated by theforce with which the fender is supported and held during the fillingoperation.

It will be noted that in the illustrative machine the packing is doneafter the filler material emerges from the lower extremity of the tubeI5, the bit I9 carrying the expander 20 extending below the lowerextremity of the tube I5. With this arrangement the filler material ispacked downwardly and outwardly by the bit and the expander and insuresa tight pack.

While the illustrative machine is shown as filling a boat fender casing,it will be understood that it may be used to fill other types of casingsor containers such as bags, drums, barrels, boxes,

ring buoys, life rafts and the like, and the ex pression casing as usedin the claims is intended to include all such casings and containers.

It will be understood further that the machine may be used to fill andpack various types of containers with materials such as cereal products,flour, feed, bran, gypsum, cement, lamp black, molybdenum, brewersgrains, clay products, chemicals, linseed meal, dried milk and the like,and that the expressions granulated filler material and filler materialas used in the specification and claims are intended to include suchmaterials and all other materials which are susceptible of being packedin a receptacle or container.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thespecific embodiment shown for purposes of illustration as the inventivefeatures may be variously embodied without departing from the invention.

It will also be understood that all of the features of the inventionneed not be used conjointly as they may be used to advantage in variouscombinations as defined in the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. Means for filling and packing a boat fender casing with granulatedfiller material comprising, in combination, a tube for insertion in thecasing and through which the filler material may be fed into the casing,a funnel for feeding the filler material into the tube, a rotatablescrew extending through the tube and beyond the lower extremity thereof,the spirals of the screw decreasing in diameter upwardly from the lowerend of the tube, an expander located in one of the channels of the screwbelow the end of the tube, and means to rotate the screw.

2. Means for filling and packing a casing with granulated fillermaterial comprising, in combination, a tube for insertion in the casingand through which the filler material may be fed into the casing, arotatable screw extending through the tube and beyond the lowerextremity thereof, the spirals of the screw decreasing in diameterupwardly from the lower end of the tube, an expander located in one ofthe channels of the screw below the end of the tube, and means to rotatethe screw.

3. Means for filling and packing a casing with filler materialcomprising, in combination, atube for insertion in the casing throughwhich the filler material may be fed into the casing, a rotatable screwextending through the tube and beyond the lower extremity thereof, anexpander located in one of the channels of the screw below the end ofthe tube, and means to rotate the screw.

4. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, animperforate tube for insertion into a container to be filled with fillermaterial, means for feeding filler material through said tube, androtatable expander means associated with said feeding means and lyingexteriorly of said tube to pack said filler material toward the sidewalls of said container.

5. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a tube forinsertion into a container to be filled with material, a rotatable screwextendingthrough said tube and having its lower end lying exteriorlythereof, expander means on said lower screw end only to pack thematerial toward the side walls of the container, and means to rotate thescrew.

6. Means for filling and packing a casing with filler materialcomprising, in combination, an imperforate tube for insertion in thecasing through which the filler material may be fed into the casing, arotatable screw extending into the tube and having its end projectingexteriorly thereof, an expander located in one of the channels of thescrew, and means to rotate the screw.

RICHARD J. DRISCOLL. JOHN H. DRISCOLL.

